2004 Lexus RX330

Dedicated to the proposition that an SUV needn't be truckish.

Perhaps what's changed most about this new RX is the length of its options list. Tick all the boxes, and you could spend $48,305--almost $2500 above factory list on a loaded 2003. But the RX starts out so good, I'd opt for the monk's version: a front-driver with cool, grippy cloth seats for $35,600. I'd have to do without headlamps that swing to illuminate my intended path (they're more nifty than necessary) and an air suspension that kneels (we monk types don't expect our vehicles to genuflect) and adds ground clearance when I go off-road (never) but doesn't improve the already superb ride. My RX would be quicker, more efficient, and best of all simpler than this one. --Frank Markus

For every thing there is a season, and for every sport-ute, there is a marketing guy with a particular type in mind. This one is aimed at the very cool, elevating the swell crowd above the commonplace rabble. Look for it under the porte-cochere of that fusion restaurant. It's stylishly chic--you see that in the gleaming chrome around the dash gauges, like bracelets set against black gloves. It's for people who wear Prada and proud of it. Its seats would look good in your living room. But there's a letdown: When you need to dust a dumpy Daewoo with some dismissive passing, the 230 horses don't pull its 4249 pounds with sufficient cool-guy swagger. For 40-something large, they should. --Steve Spence

The RX330 swims in refinement, from the luscious leather and wood to the elegantly high-tech instrument displays. The brain-teaser control panel has been replaced with a far more intuitive set of audio, climate, and navigation controls. Meanwhile, it appears the letters "N," "V," and "H" have been prized from the corporate keyboard, with cabin noise levels that make you want to run to the nearest audiologist for a checkup. Even so, this straight-A student strikes me as a teacher's pet, eager to please and a bit pandering. I walked away wishing the RX330 had more personality, more character, and--of course--a lower center of gravity. --Dan Neil

Verdict:

Model Research

*AccuPayment estimates payments under various scenarios for budgeting and informational purposes only. AccuPayment does not state credit or lease terms that are available from a creditor or lessor, and AccuPayment is not an offer or promotion of a credit or lease transaction.